Waking up to yet another day stuck on Moya was like finding yourself stuck in Stiidok with everyone you ever hated. Chiana opened her eyes slowly and felt an inner scream as she looked at the ceiling of her room once more. "I hate this frelling ship." She swore to herself before throwing the thin blanket off her body and standing up. Her soft grey skin was used to cooler climates so she didnt really feel the cold of space like D'Argo or Crichton. First it was exercise time, she wanted to keep her trim figure in perfect shape so she stretched her limbs carefully, bending and twisting each muscle until she was satisfied she had gotten rid of any resistance caused by sleeping. She pulled on a jacket over the trousers and t-shirt she never removed in case of an emergency and she went to find some food before Rygel had eaten it all.
"Good morning child." Zhaan said as Chiana entered the eating chamber.
"It's never morning in space Zhaan, unless we pass by a sun and then we never see you for hours."
Zhaans smile vanished with the Nebaris insult. "Politeness is a virtue."
Chiana sat down and rested one foot leisurely on the chair next to hers. "Well I've never been big on virtues Zhaan, I like a bit of excitement now and again." She picked up a pink food bar and bit one of the corners off. "What is this frelling stuff?" She spat the stuff out. "You should have asked me before you swapped a perfectly good piece of asteroid for this rotting garbage."
"Morning Zhaan, Pip." Crichton walked into the food hall. "I just love this stuff, swear down it tastes like Danish bacon if bacon tasted totally different."
"I dont know how you can even think about eating that." Chiana grumbled. "Its worse than that stuff Rygel got and he nearly gave them me in exchange for it. As if I'm going to join anyones harem anyway?"
"No, you just looted the treasury and now there's another madman after me." Crichton glared at Chi. "First Crais, then Scorpy, now Prince Mazarn."
"Gee, well its a good thing I escaped in time then isnt it? I would have hated you to have that on your conscience."
"Well we escaped and were all alive, we should give thanks to the Goddess for that."
"I thought I could smell food." DArgo said as he entered the galley. He stopped suddenly when he saw Chiana. "I'll come back later."
Chiana jumped to her feet. "It's ok, I wasnt hungry anyway." She felt a huge knot of guilt and regret in her heart when she saw her former lover. "I'll go see what Rygels up to."
D'Argo ignored Chiana as she walked past him. She had betrayed him in the worst way possible; the pain was still too much to think about. He tried to cut himself off from most of it, but some still leaked through.
"Chiana, grey, Nebari, soft, pretty, dangerous, so kind, the hurt I can feel it, like a thousand tiny mouths screaming out for their mother." Stark looked at Chiana as he passed her. "I can see the blue trying to tie your heart up but you have to untie the knot, you have to, have to, have to."
Ok. Chiana never knew when Stark would get all psycho and weird, he was the least stable person she knew and she knew the human Crichton!

Chiana wandered down one of Moyas corridors and somehow took a wrong turn and ended up in the flight room. She saw Aeryn working on something important looking but before she could figure out what it was and if it was worth anything to anyone Aeryn turned around.
"What do you want Chiana?"
"Nothing. Just looking."
"Well don't let me detain you then."

Chiana moved on. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that she wanted to have sex with Crichton. Sex was just sex, no commitments, just sex. It was fun, it was nice, it was healthy, everyone should have sex more often, then the rest of the ship wouldnt be so uptight all the time. She had thought about it too, many times in fact, well it was a fun way of passing the time with no strings attached. But well the human was just too ugly and he smelled, worse than Rygel at times. At least Crais was nice smelling and very pretty for a guy but his moods were almost too much for her to deal with.


ACT ONE
The real heart of Moya was Pilots control centre; from here he constantly kept all the living ships function in check and in balance. Chiana liked Pilot; he was nice in a funny sort of way. Not cute looking nice or funny nice but that sort of kind nice where she felt totally comfortable being around him, she could talk to pilot and know he wouldnt use anything she said for his own agenda. Pilot was also a lot smarter than the others; he knew how useful she could be and how smart she really was. The rest just thought she was an annoying brat to be ignored or avoided, unless they wanted her for another of their insane plans. Frell it, Pilot was the only one on the whole damn ship that appreciated her for being herself.
"What is it Chiana?" Pilot asked as Chiana came into view of his own eyes. "Moya is sensing some strange readings and I must concentrate on analysing them."
"Can I help Pilot?" Chiana felt like making herself useful, on her own terms of course.
"Maybe you can monitor some of the readings for me?" Pilot said to Chiana. "I would appreciate your help on this matter. Moya is very disturbed about the proximity of the energy wave."
Chiana climbed over the control desk and stood closer to Pilot, although he was definitely male he was also quite blind to her subtle manipulations. A coy smile, a little laugh or a knowing wink, all were lost on Pilot. "What am I looking for?"
"Those readings there, tell me when they fall below a certain level."
"Ok, I'm watching. What kind of energy wave is this?" Chiana shouldnt have cause for alarm, but there was only once race who could manipulate energy waves as a form of attack, her own.
"I'm not sure Chiana, its some sort of tightly controlled energy matrix which almost moves like its alive."
"Frell!" Chiana swore. "Take evasive action now Pilot, get us the frell out of here!"
Pilot looked down at Chiana. "What is it Chiana?"
Chiana tried to stop herself from shivering. "Don't you remember Pilot? It's my people, the Nebari." Just as she finished speaking Moya was rocked by an impact blast.
The energy wave struck Moya, no damage but she is shaken up a little. I" thought you said that Prince Mazarn does not possess any sort of attack vessel." Pilot tried to ease Chiana's fears.
"I don't think its that lecherous toad Pilot. Remember how my people are all purity freaks? Well I think weve just run into the cleanup squad sent to correct his thinking. I'm not letting them take me alive Pilot, I'm not."
Pilot put a hand on Chiana's shoulder. "Moya and I feel the same way Chiana. We will not let them capture us, Moya will starburst in five metrons."
"Not fast enough Pilot, theres only one sort of ship with this intense firepower. A Talax class frigate, very powerful and highly secret."
"Moya is sensing something else, more ships, bigger ships. Moya is very scared Chiana."
Chiana looked right at Pilot. "Tell Moya to starburst, now!"
"Very well." Pilot agreed and began the starburst initiation sequence. "Prepare for starburst."
"Pilot, what is going on?" Crichtons face appeared on the holographic monitor. "What has Chiana done?"
"Chiana has done nothing, we are being attacked by several Nebari vessels."
"Again?" Crichton asked. "I thought we took care of Prince Tarzan."
"This is a cleanup squad." Chiana shouted at the image of Crichton. "Obviously sent to correct that slimy grattics thinking."
"Moya is initiating starburst now." Pilot pushed the final button that activated the sequence.
"I hate Starburst you grey-skinned harlot." Rygel's face appeared briefly on the holo-display before Pilot deactivated the link to save energy.


Moya's brownish skin began to glow as blue energies flowed through the traceries of veins in her outermost layer of skin. Her three rear prongs spread wide to contain the build up of energy and then with a lurch the leviathan shot forward at tremendous velocity out of normal reality and into another realm of existence.


Chiana tried to extract herself from Pilot's arms. "I'm ok, it's good you've got four arms or I'd have fallen all the way down there."
"Moya has some superficial damage to her outer skin, we will have to pause for a while to try and repair the damage."
"Great, if it's not help find a planet for Zhaan, Chiana, it's hide away for a while Chiana. Has anyone asked me what I want to do?" It was always the same since she had ended up on this frelling ship. Not that she wasn't sort of semi-thankful that Crichton and the others had saved her life and stuff, more that she wished that they thought about her needs more, a lot more would be nice. They always treated her like a kid, even when she had great ideas and plans, did they listen to her? Did they frell. At least the sex with D'Argo had been fantastic.


Zhaan looked around the control area, everyone seemed to be coping after the attack, all except Rygel who's hovering throne was now floating on an angle. "By the grace of the goddess we are all unharmed."
"Fire, lights, burning brightly, they fired at us, fired, fired at us."
"Yes Stark my love, they attacked us, however I believe we evaded them."


Chiana had left Pilot to get on with the essential tasks of running Moya's systems and locating their new position. Plus he could be tediously boring too and well she was always looking for some excitement and a little trouble to get involved with. This was how she had gotten involved with Prince Mazarn but it had all turned out for the best and now we would have a Nebari cleanup fleet to worry about more than his petty revenge on her. The guy was a sleaze, most guys were but there were one or two she could count on, although there was no way she was going to rely on them.
"What is going on Pip?" Crichton grabbed hold of Chianas arms. "What have you done?"
"Nothing." Chiana squirmed about to get free of the annoyingly loud humans grip. "My planet is not big on free thinkers right? Well that Mazarn was one of the last to be caught and have his brain frelled up. It was just bad luck that we got in the way, now let go of me." She struggled again as Crichton let go and she fell down on her rear end.
"Come on Pip." Crichton took hold of Chiana's hand and pulled her to her feet. "We've got to get Zhaan to a suitable planet so that she can regenerate, the shuttle takes off in half an arhn."
"What? I didnt volunteer to go on a scouting mission."
"Sure you did, right when you told Pilot to put his foot on the gas."
"Pilot doesnt have any feet." Chiana pointed out the obvious, although more times than not it was a waste of time with Crichton as his whole species was so backwards. "Why cant Aeryn go? She's much better suited than me."
"Aeryn is helping pilot locate where we are with the galactic star charts Rygel obtained on that commerce planet."
"What about D'Argo? I imagine he wants to kill someone about now, he'd be perfect if we ran into Scorpius."
"Actually Pip, he wants to kill you." Crichton smiled at Chiana.
"I'll go and get ready then." Chiana reluctantly agreed. "I'll be ready to go in a quarter of an arhn." The thought of a Luxan in hyper-rage was more than enough to override her natural tendencies to take her time when selecting an outfit to wear.


Aeryn refilled Zhaans bath with more mineral rich water. "Crichton's ideas rarely work Zhaan, I'm surprised that you agreed to go along with this."
Zhaan smiled up at Aeryn. "Sometimes to heal yourself you must heal others first. Perhaps this will work or it will not but it will help John feel easier. Stark will keep me company if you wish to return to helping Pilot with the star charts."
"Looking at maps of planets was not something I was well trained for Zhaan. Peacekeepers emphasise combat, spaceship manoeuvres and more weapons drill than anyone should ever go though in a lifetime. However John thinks that learning about everything else in the universe is a good thing and I cant find any reason to disprove him, yet." Aeryn smiled a little to herself. "I'll be with Pilot if you need anything more Zhaan. Well find somewhere suitable for you."
"Thank you Aeryn, I think I would like to rest for a while." Zhaan felt there was a pleasing grown in the young Sebecan womans consideration for others and she smiled with warmth and gratitude before Aeryn left.
"I will never leave your side Zhaan." Stark promised once Aeryn was gone. "I'm here for you always."
"I know Stark, and I thank you for your company. Your presence eases my discomfort and helps me prepare for the time I must face the Goddess."
Stark rested the uncovered part of his head on Zhaan's temple. "You have many cycles left Zhaan, we will spend them all together."
Zhaan patted the top of Starks head and the metal face covering. "Be still now, it is good to simply be together."


The dot became a blip and then a splodge before finally resolving itself into the uncomfortable shape of a warship. "What the frelling yotz is that ship Pilot?" Rygel spoke sharply into his communicator.
Pilot's voice filled the room. "Moya cannot detect anything Dominar Rygel, we both think that its some sort of projection."
"Well it looks real enough to me Pilot. Youd better tell D'Argo and Aeryn to get up here fast. In the meantime we should take evasive precautions."
"What do you suggest Dominar?"
Rygel was of course a great leader of Hynerians and so quickly made some decisions. "There's a small moon over there, we should put it between Moya and it."
Crichton entered the command area. "What's going on Sparky, why's Moya changing course?"
Rygel turned around to look at the annoying figure of the human. "Theres a ship approaching Moya fast, I've asked pilot of move us into a position putting that small moon between us and it."
"Good thinking." Crichton looked at the distant ship. "Pilot have they detected us yet?"
"That is uncertain commander. Moya cannot detect anything at all from that vessel. It may just be an image, of course it could be an advanced mechanism to block Moya's scanning equipment."
"Maybe. Look, I think Sparky's right. We'd better hide up for a while and keep out of trouble. Helping Zhaan is our number one priority right now. I'd better go and tell Chiana the good news. That's the very planet we were going to survey anyway, I'm sure shell be happy to get some time away from D'Argo."
"I'd settle for an ahrn without him shouting so loudly too." Rygel smiled.


Aeryn rolled her eyes and wished that she hadn't taken this tier to reach Pilot. "Chiana, it's just a survey mission. John is a reasonably well qualified pilot, he can get from A to B quite well and the chances of that module of his getting caught in another wormhole are very low."
"Great." Chiana pouted. "I'm going to die. This is just swell. In here I have to worry about a Luxan with permanent hyper-rage and out there I have a psychotic Nebari prince who wants me to be his concubine. That's of course assuming that I'm not killed by Scorpius who's after Crichton and probably needs someone to use for practice make sure his gun is working properly."
"You worry too much Chiana, you've coped with worse situations that this."
"When? It's not just that I frelled up my relationship with D'Argo by frelling his son, I then went out and frelled the first man who bought me half a dozen drinks and then Rygel tried to sell me to him so that I could be frelled by his pet Tasstiqs for some natural history vidcast. Finally I get volunteered to go and survey some planet or moon because there might be a trace amount of a mineral Zhaan needs to live a few days longer. I like Zhaan, shes nice, but why should I risk my life for a bag of soil?"
"Because Zhaan would do the same for you." Aeryns reply was swift, reasonably friendly and totally correct. This left the younger woman with a sulky smile on her face.
"Ok, but if things turn out for the worst I get to say I told you so."
"I'll try and keep it in mind Chiana." Aeryn promised. "See you later."
"Not if I get chopped up into little pieces if D'Argo sees me first." It was too late however, Aeryn was inside Pilots chamber and the door seemed to be locked for some unknown reason, probably poor maintenance or something.


D'Argo looked at Crichtons module, it wasnt very big, inside of it would be very confining for both Crichton and his...passenger. He still refused to think her name, let alone speak it. The wound was too fresh, too deep, too painful but deep down he trusted Crichton in a way he rarely trusted anyone else, except maybe Zhaan and Pilot. He could trust Crichton with his girl, except that she wasnt his girl anymore, but he could still trust Crichton with her. He unsheathed his Quellta blade and struck an empty metal container, slicing it almost into two chunks of metal.
"Whoa, easy big guy." John looked at the sword in DArgos hands. "Maybe I'll come back later, say a few years perhaps?"
"I am fine." D'Argo sighed and let his sword swing loose by his leg. "I just needed to let off some steam, as you put it."
"Ok, well you know where I am if you want to talk to me D'Argo." Instantly he realised that hed just said the wrong thing, as he was about to spend a lot of time on the nearby planet with Chiana, the source of much of DArgos rage. "Damn, That was not supposed to sound that way D. I meant that..."
D'Argo held up his free hand. "It's alright John, I know what you're trying to say. I'll be fine, in fact I'll be better than fine. I'll be so fine that I wont remember her and my own son together." D'Argo struck out at another container. "Sorry John, maybe I can get Zhaan to make me a sedative."
"Tell her to make you lots of it." John winked at D'Argo in the traditional way most Earth guys do when talking about woman trouble.
"I will." DArgo said. "I'd better go, I can smell her scent, shes on her way here now." The angry Luxan warrior left the docking area, well stomped out furiously anyway.


Chiana was sure she could hear D'Argos voice, as she got closer to the docking bay where she was supposed to meet Crichton. Fearing for her life and not wishing to be chopped up into handy bite-size chunks she took her frelling time. However D'Argos voice if it really was his voice seemed to quieten down and then stop. She glanced around the doorway and saw the human man all alone in his figure hugging orange outfit. She was unsure why they hadnt slept together, he was sort of cute if you liked pink as a skin colour and he was good with his hands, not too clumsy and not too svelte either. After all a girl wanted a man to hold her, to make her feel safe didnt she? Plus the size was very important too, at least to her and probably to each and every male of his species. Guys were the same the universe over and she was pretty glad about it too.
"Hey Chiana. Crichton called over to her."
"I'm still not sure about this." Chiana approached the module carefully, as if it was a ticking bomb. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather go out there with someone else? Anyone else?"
"Someone needs to keep an eye on you pip, looks like I got the shortest straw again."
"I'm not a kid." Chiana grumbled. "You're no better than any other Nebari, all authority and control. They take too much pleasure in that for anyones safety."
"Would you relax Chi? Were just going out for a spin in the Batmobile, well hightail it back here if theres any sign of the Joker ok?" By Joker he meant Scorpius, the sardonic faced psycho who had tortured him in his aurora chair, who had chased him across the galaxy and left him for dead on an operating table. He'd hightail it all right, but only as far as a really big gun he could shoot the evil son-of-a-bitch with.
It sort of made no sense what so ever, but Chiana could see that Crichton saw that he had to go and he wanted someone to go with him. Reluctantly, and cursing the maturity she had just defended, she nodded in agreement. "Ok, but I'm taking a gun."
Crichton unholstered Winona and threw it to the kid. "Here, you chicks better stay together. Play nice now."
"Winona? Really? Youre giving me Winona?"
Crichton looked at the confused Nebari girl and felt like they were growing just a little closer together as friends. "Its only a loaner Pip, now all aboard whos goin abroad."
"How about doing a broad afterwards?" Chiana saw the sudden change in Crichton, the comfortable easiness snapped into rigid discomfortude. "I was only kidding." It was mostly a lie, anyway Crichton was more a sort of safety net, if she fell hed be there to save her. He was the reasonable voice that stopped D'Argo from killing her. He was like the big brother she wished had stayed with her, but Neiri had a war to fight and it was a whole other story altogether anyway. "Lets get this over with then, lets go and save Zhaan and if theres any cute guys at least you wont try and sell me to them."
"I'm not making any promises." Crichton waited until he saw the look of shock on her face and then he smiled and pointed at her. "I so got you there."
"You did not." Chiana was upset, it was a cruel and mean joke and also kind of funny too. She would have to get even with him one day soon, to see the look on his face.


Across space a blip appeared on a scanner.
"My prince, weve located the female Chiana."
Prince Mazarn smiled. "Prepare my private yaught. We'll collect her and put her back in my harem before the end of today. If anyone harms her unnecessarily I'll pass on my sympathies to their family about their most unfortunate demise." His clean up squad had lost the Leviathan when it starbursted, the failure was excusable so he merely activated the ships self destruct mechanism. This time however Chiana, the sweetest of sweet smelling blooms was on a small ship and she would be his, he would see to it himself.

ACT TWO

Chiana crossed her arms and glared at Cricton. "We'll be perfectly safe, you said."
"I never said that Pip." Crichton replied.
"I won't let any harm come to you, Chiana, you said."
"I never said that either."
Chiana looked out of the pod window as the huge yacht of Prince Mazan drew closer. "Now I'll have to spend the rest of my life with that depraved monster."
"At least you'll have the sex to look forward to."
Chiana smiled, briefly. "There is that, but it's not enough when it's him." She frowned as they were drawn inside the landing bay...

Aeryn Sun was relaxing. Her work done for now she stretched her arm and legs muscles to release the tensions of the day. Then she started her regulation 10,000 situps, pushups and starjumps.


D'Argo was prowling around Moya's command deck when pilot's face appeared on the screen. "General D'Argo, I've recieved some disturbing news. Moya intercepted a brief transmission on Nebari comm frequencies. I think they've captured Chiana and Commander Crichton."
"Frell!" D'Argo swore and lurched towards the communication screen. "Do you have a position?"
"Yes, but it would mean leaving behind the search for a suitable planet for Zhaan. The signal originated in a very distant and desolate region of space."
D'Ardo let out a primal roar of rage and fury, which helped him calm himself down. "I will go and talk to Zhaan."

Rygel's thone sled hovered into the recreation area. "What the frelling yotz is going on? Where is everyone?"
Aeryn shrugged. "I have no idea what you're on about."
"D'Argo woke me up, muttered something incomprehensible and said to see you about it."
"I've been in here for the last hour." Aeryn tapped her communicator. "Pilot, what's going on?"
"Officer Sun, please come to the fligh deck, bring the Dominar with you."
Rygel sat back. "Well I'm not going. A Dominar leads, he never follows."
Aeryn grabbed hold of the Hynerian and lifted him off his perch. "Come on, I'll carry you."
Rygel complained. "You don't have to put my face in your armpit!"

Chiana tried to hide behind Crichton. "Mazan, fancy seeing you again."
Mazan ignored the female and looked at the alien male. "That's my slave."
Crichton smiled. "You might try the Shang-hai surprise on us but don't think for a second it's going to work."
Mazan aimed a minature energy pistol at the alien and fired.
"Umph." Crichton slumped forward to his knees.
Chiana rushed forward and stopped Crichton from hitting the floor. "What did you do to him?"
"A simple stun bolt. I'll put him back in his ship and leave him adrift. You however have been a bad slave and need to be punished."


A smoky casino. John looked at his hand of cards, five jokers. "I'll raise you five."
Harvey smiled sardonically. "Is that the best you can do John? Give up on that annoying brat just like that?"
John looked at Harvey, a perfect neural clone of Scorpius' mind. "I'll find a way, I always do. I'm Doctor Who, I'm Steel, I'm Luke Skywalker."
Harvey nodded. "I'll see your five and raise you everything. We both know what happened to Skywalker."
John laughed. "Five of a kind."
Harvey threw down his four aces and a king. "Well this is your mind. Back in the dumpster?"
"Got it in one." John smiled...


"Crichton? John?" Chiana shook the human male awake. "Come on, Mazan's going to stick you back in that pod of yours and leave you to drift in space."
Crichton sat up. "You ok Pip?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
"Nothing I can't handle."
"Are you sure?"
"Would I lie to you?"
John didn't need to ask anymore to know she would and was lying. "He won't bother you again Chi, I made a promise and I intend to keep it."
"You'll want this then." The young Nebari handed Winona over.
"Hey, things are looking up already."
"I kept her safe for you. They searched you, they took a few things."
"My latest letter to Dad." Crichton realised. "Now I'm pissed off. I'm gonna lay the smackdown on his candy ass."

Stark brushed Zhaan's cheek his fingers, feeling the regular pattern of her diamond shapped scaley ridges. "The Luxan is here to see you my love, he shouts at me but I tell him to be quiet, told him I did and he is silent, shhh, silent now, yes silent."
Zhaan nodded. "Sweet D'Argo." The Delvin P'Aoh smiled. "Send him in Stark, it is good to see the kindness in his eyes."

D'Argo nodded to Zhaan. "You look like dren."
Zhaan smiled. "Stark means well but he's hidden all my mirrors."
D'Argo looked at Stark. "Rygel has enough already, don't you think?"
Stark bowed his head. "Only the best intended my love, no distress for you, relax, relax, relax, relax. I will talk to Rygel."
"Any news of John and Chiana?" Zhaan asked.
"No." D'Argo replied. "I was wondering wether we should go after them or not."
"We should go after them." Zhaan replied.
"NO!" Stark shouted. "We must find a planet for you."
"We will, if the Goddess intends it." Zhaan tried to placate her lover, her soul mate, her reason for enduring so much pain. John and Chiana may need our help."

Crichton casually strolled down the corridor, as if he owned the ship, a couple of surprised Nebari were surprised to see an alien, and Crichton took advantage of this to punch them both in the face as hard as he could. "Glass jaws." Cricton smiled at Chiana.
"Yeah, we go for pretty much anything." She smiled back.
Crichton searched the bodies. "No sign of the message Pip."
"I don't think I should be risking my life for a message. You go ahead and I'll find somewhere safe to hide."
"Come on." Crichton grabbed hold of Chiana's hand. "Follow the yellow brick road."
"The corridor isn't yellow." Chiana wondered what her escaped mental patient of a colleague was on about now...

Prince Mazarn watched the progress of the two prisoners on the view screen. "They're better than the Skarren we had last month." All around him his courtiers placed bets on the outcome of the jailbreak. "200 on the girl to be injured within the next ten minutes."
"300." Lady Crozier smiled at her Prince and hoped to earn a favour or a night in bed with the Prince.
"400." Duke Balthazar, the self-styled thinking Nebari's nobleman said, also hoping for a night with the Prince.
"I'll take both those bets." Marzan despised both of the simpering fools but like any politician he kept his enemies closer to him than his friends.

Chiana ducked the punch, and caught the prone guard in the back with the side of her hand in a chopping motion. She then kicked the guy in the face and stomach until he stayed down. "I guess I have a lot of repressed anger." She explained to Crichton.
"Great, just don't get too involved in the Ripleyisms." Crichton replied. "We gotta find a way off this ship."
"Maybe." Chiana was worried.
"What do you mean?"
"I just don't think it's going to be that easy. Marzan doesn't let anything go."
"He couldn't stop you escaping."
"Well I didn't get very far."
"This time we'll get back to Moya and starburst six or seven times."
"I feel safer already."
"Good."
"Yo Marzan, show your ugly grey ass."
"Hey, watch the whole grey ass area."
"Just trying to annoy him Pip, get him worked up."
"Well you do it very well."
"I like to think so." Crichton wondered when their Nebari captor would make his move.

D'Argo and Aeryn stood on the flight deck, while Rygel sat nearby on one of the tables. D'Argo spoke first.
"Zhaan is dying, we cannot avoid that fact, however Crichton and the Nebari have both been captured and the ship that has them is leaving this system."
"You want us to sacrifice Zhaan?" Aeryn asked.
"That blue bitch is tough, but she's never given up on any of us." Rygel retorted.
"I can take my prowler." Aeryn volunteered. "I can get on that ship and free John and Chiana."
"No, a prowler is too small, they have dozens of fighters that are more powerful. What we need is a trap."
"I have an idea." Rygel spoke softly but with the vocal command of a Dominar."

ACT THREE

Marzan watched as the video screen resolved itself into the image of a very attractive Nebari female. "Hello my dear, can I help you?"
Aeryn replied. "I've escaped from the Peace Keepers, they're after me. I never thought I'd never see another friendly face again. Please help me."
"Of course my dear." Marzan signalled for the docking bay to tractor the ship in.
"Thank you." Aeryn said, with extreme fake gratitude.
"I'm looking forward to having you aboard my ship." Marzan smiled lustfully and switched the screen off. "Send her to my chambers, I'll...entertain her personally."

"Yo, anyone." Crichton tried kicking the wall, to see if it was solid. "We've been walking around for hours already."
Chiana tried a door handle. "Locked. We're trapped aren't we? Trapped inside a maze of corridors."
"I ain't a lab rat." Crichton replied. "I'm not running about looking for a piece of no goddam cheese."
"Cheese?"
"It's a human snack food. It's made, hell I don't know how it's made. I only know that it tastes great on crackers."
"Uh huh."
"Dammit Pip, why did I have to go and talk about food? It's making me hungry."
"We'll find a way to get out of here." Chiana tried to keep Crichton's spirits up. There was only one more thing annoying than a human, a depressed human.
"I know we will, and then I'm gonna tear someone a new hole." Chichton kicked the wall again, but it was just as sturdy as ever.

Once activity in the hanger bay was quiet D'Argo climbed out of the passenger seat and threw the black cloak to the floor, as he no longer needed this casual disguise. A worker appeared from around the side of the ship, he didn't notice the Luxan at firat and D'Argo quickly used the adaptive venom in the tip of his tongue to take care of matters. Then he hefted his Quelta Blade and went off in search of his missing crewmates...

Aeryn punched Marzan in the face and then kicked him when he was down. "You have two friends of mine held captive, Chiana and John Cricton. I want them back, undamaged. If they're hurt then I'll hurt you three fold, have you got that?" She kicked him again until he groan a painful yes. "Good." She sat down in one of the comfprtable chairs and pulled out a gun. "One false movement and I'll shoot something non-vital, then I'll move on to non-essential body parts, before things get really interesting."
Marzan got to his feet. "You're quite emotional for a Nebari, even one of the unconditioned."
Aeryn pointed the gun at one of Marzan's feet. "You can hop, can't you?"

A door finally opened and Chiana smiled. "See, I said they couldn't lock all of them."
"It could be a trap." Crichton observed.
Suddenly the door swung open and D'Argo walked through it. "Ah there you are."
"Hey, Big D." Crichton hugged the startled Luxan.
Chiana shuffled about from foot to foot. "Yeah, thanks."
D'Argo ignored the betrayer and spoke only to the human. "Come om, it's not a rescue if you stand around doing nothing."
"We're with you buddy." Crichton agreed.
"I can't wait to get back to Moya." Chiana said, mainly to herself.

Rygel watched the screen for any sign of a returning ship. It was probably a waste of time, Chrichton and the others were probably dead and good riddence to them, but he would miss them. Not that he'd ever tell then that, a Dominar never let a weakness like emotion show, not even when he wanted to...

Crichton punched one of the guards. "Damn, that felt good, D."
D'Argo nodded. "Yes, I have a lot of restrained violent thoughts against Nebari too."
Chiana made sure that Crichton was between her and D'Argo at all times.
"Take it out on the guards." Crichton pushed one towards the Luxan.
D'Argo smiled coldly at the Nebari before expressing his anger.
"So how did you get here?" Chiana finally ventured a question.
"It was Rygel's idea."
"Woah, Sparky came through for once."
"That's great." Chiana agreed. "I'd half expected him to sell me again."
"The landing bay is this way." D'Argo led the way. "We have to find Aeryn first though."
"Aeryn's here too?" Crichton asked.
"She wouldn't lend me her prowler." D'Argo replied. "She's this way."
"How do you know?" Crichton asked.
"He can smell her." Chiana started to speak.
"She's wearing a subtle chemical marker, only Luxans can detect it." D'Argo said quickly.
"Whoopie doo." Crichton checked Winona's powercell, it was just above half.

"Keep moving." Aeryn pushed the sleazy Nebari along the corridor.
"You're a dominating woman, I like that." Marzan tried to get to the strange woman with the gun.
Aeryn activated her communicator. "D'Argo, it's Aeryn, I've got our illustrious host."
D'Argo's voice crackled out of the tiny communications device. "I have Crichton and Chiana, we'll meet you back at the prowler."
"So, you didn't come alone? Was that the boyfriend? I hear Luxans can be very...brief."
"Just give me an excuse to let him kill you." Aeryn pushed Marzan again.
Marzan passed a security scanner and tapped one of his rings three times. "Whatever you say my dear, whatever you say."

Crichton sat on the edge of the module, waiting for Aeryn to show up. "How long does it take to get here?"
"It didn't take us long at all." Chi muttered. "Not after we found out we were going in the wrong direction anyway."
D'Argo prowled around the bay. "She should be back here by now."
"I agree." Crichton slid to the floor. "We'd better go find her, D. Pip, you stay here and keep an eye on my module and Aeryn's prowler."
"Frell you." Chi swore. "I'm going to find Aeryn on my own. You'll walk into a trap or worse. I know how my people think better than either of you do."
"Well that's the truth." D'Argo glared at his ex.
Chi ignored D'Argo and left.
"I hate it when she goes off like that." Crichton said aloud.
"You should go with her." D'Argo said softly.

Aeryn felt the blow as the fist struck her face, but she didn't react, didn't show emotion, just like she had been taught since she was too young to remember anything else. Once a Peacekeeper, aways a Peacekeeper. That was what she was taught, until her life was taken away from her without a thought by Crais.


Marzan watched as his guards beat the female again, it was one of his favourite hobbies. However this one was taking an unusually long time to break. Even a corrected Nebari would have made some small signal of emotion by now. This left only one alternative and force alone wouldn't resolve that. "Stop now, clean her up, let me see who she really is." He suspected he knew the truth already, but it was nice to be occasionally surprised, but only occasionally.

D'Argo kicked the door down easily, then he spotted the three Nebari guards stumble with shock. He smiled to himself before raising his Quelta Blade and charging at them. Crichton follwed Big D through the door. He fired off a couple of shots, before spotting Aeryn, yied up and also beaten up. He rushed over to her. "I can't leave you alone for a second, can I?" He cut her bonds and she half fell into his arms.
"I'll be fine, just give me a moment." Aeryn just needed a second to compose herself mentally for action.

Chi looked left and right at the crossroads before rushing across it to the far section of corridor. Once there she motioned for Crichton to follow. "The guards will follow a semi-regular shift pattern, only the cleansed follow rituals of timing and regularity."
"They don't have the monopoly there Pip. Remind me to tell you about England sometime."
"The scone place?" Chi was interested in the Earth food called jam. It sounded sweet and tasty, unlike anything the Nebari made anymore.

Rygel's voice crackled through Chiana's intercom. "What the hezmada is taking so long? Moya has detected a fleet of approaching ships at extreme long range."
"The clean up squad?" Chiana guessed. "But they wouldn't send that many ships for just one of us. Frell, they know Moya is here."
Crichton caught up with Pip. "What is it?"
"I think they sent a whole war fleet, after us."
"Frell."
"That's what I said."
"Good call." Crichton and Chi exchanged glances of shock and disbelief.